In the Sprint version, let everything run. It will not call any cabs from the ExtRom. You really aren't missing much by not letting it run other than some customization stuff like SIP Change and PIM Backup and stuff from the Boot folder. However, the other version should call any cabs necessary for other carriers.
I just opened up Live Search and it worked fine for me. Not sure what the deal was when you tried to use it. Were there any specific errors? What was not working?
I have not noticed anything with PIE. However, I have a custom setup to install PIEPlus on install so it is always there. I have ppcgeeks set as the homepage and it always comes up.
Stop breaking the rom
